Activating Cruise Control on Your Tesla
Cruise control on a Tesla activates through the stalk on the left side of the steering wheel. Push the stalk away from you once to turn on Traffic-Aware Cruise Control, which maintains your set speed and automatically slows for traffic ahead. Push it away a second time to engage full self-driving capabilities if your vehicle has that package — but most Tesla owners use the first setting for everyday driving.
Once the stalk is pushed, the cruise control icon appears on your dashboard display. You will see a small car symbol with a line ahead of it, showing the system is ready. At this point, you can set your desired speed by using the scroll wheel on the right side of the steering wheel or by tapping the plus and minus buttons on the stalk itself.
The system will not engage if you are below 18 miles per hour. Tesla designed this floor to prevent accidental set up in parking lots or slow city traffic. If you are moving faster than 18 mph when you push the stalk, cruise control activates when ready at your current speed.
Key Takeaways
- Push the cruise control stalk away from you once to turn on Traffic-Aware Cruise Control, which holds your speed and slows automatically for traffic.
- Set your desired speed using the scroll wheel on the right side of the steering wheel or the plus and minus buttons on the stalk.
- Cruise control requires you to be traveling at least 18 miles per hour and will not set up below that threshold.
- You can adjust your following distance from the traffic ahead by pressing the left scroll wheel up or down while cruise control is active.
- Pressing the brake pedal, moving the stalk toward you, or pressing the cancel button on the stalk will when ready disengage cruise control.
Setting and Adjusting Your Speed
Once cruise control is active, use the right scroll wheel to increase or decrease your target speed. Rolling the wheel forward raises the speed by 1 mile per hour with each click, or by 5 miles per hour if you hold it. Rolling backward lowers the speed the same way. The dashboard shows your set speed in large numbers so you can confirm the change without looking away from the road for long.
You can also use the plus and minus buttons on the cruise control stalk itself to adjust speed. This method works the same way — single clicks change speed by 1 mph, and holding the button changes by 5 mph. Many drivers find the stalk buttons faster when they need to make quick adjustments.
Your set speed remains in memory even after you disengage cruise control. If you turn it back on within the same drive, the system returns to your last set speed rather than your current speed. This saves you from resetting the speed every time you briefly cancel.
Adjusting Following Distance
Tesla's Traffic-Aware Cruise Control maintains a gap between your vehicle and the car ahead. You control how large that gap is by pressing the left scroll wheel up or down. The dashboard displays a number from 1 to 7, with 1 being the closest following distance and 7 being the farthest.
Most drivers set this between 2 and 4 for highway driving. A setting of 1 follows very closely and is rarely comfortable on public roads. A setting of 7 creates a large buffer and is useful in heavy traffic or when you want the system to be more conservative about speeding up after slowing down.
You can change your following distance at any time while cruise control is running. The adjustment takes effect when ready — you do not need to disengage and re-engage the system.
How Traffic-Aware Cruise Control Responds to Other Vehicles
When Traffic-Aware Cruise Control detects a vehicle ahead, it automatically slows your Tesla to maintain the following distance you set. The slowdown is smooth and gradual unless the car ahead brakes suddenly, in which case your Tesla responds more sharply. The system uses the vehicle's forward-facing cameras and radar to detect traffic.
If the car ahead moves out of your lane or speeds up enough to open a gap, your Tesla accelerates back to your set speed. This happens automatically without any input from you. The acceleration is steady and not jerky, designed to feel natural to passengers.
In stop-and-go traffic, Traffic-Aware Cruise Control will bring your vehicle to a complete stop if needed. However, it will not restart automatically after a full stop — you must press the accelerator or the resume button on the stalk to get moving again. This design prevents the vehicle from creeping forward unexpectedly in congested traffic.
Disengaging Cruise Control
You can turn off cruise control in several ways. The quickest is to press the brake pedal — any pressure on the brake when ready cancels the system. You can also pull the cruise control stalk toward you (the opposite direction from set up), or press the cancel button on the stalk. All three methods work when ready.
Turning the steering wheel sharply also disengages cruise control on most Tesla models. This is a safety feature that prevents the system from fighting your manual steering input if you need to swerve or make a sudden lane change.
When cruise control disengages, the icon disappears from your dashboard. Your set speed remains stored in memory, so you can resume at that speed later by pushing the stalk away again.
Common Issues and Troubleshooting
If cruise control will not set up, check that you are traveling faster than 18 miles per hour. The system straightforward will not engage below that speed, regardless of how many times you push the stalk. Also verify that your foot is off the brake pedal — holding the brake prevents set up.
If the cruise control icon appears but the system does not seem to be working, check your dashboard for warning messages. A red exclamation mark or text alert usually means the forward cameras are blocked by dirt, condensation, or ice. Clean the camera area on the front of the vehicle and try again.
If your Tesla has a software update pending, some features including cruise control may be temporarily unavailable. Restart the vehicle by shifting to Neutral, waiting 30 seconds, and then shifting back to Drive. If the issue persists, schedule a service appointment through your Tesla app.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use cruise control on city streets or only on highways?
You can use cruise control anywhere you are traveling faster than 18 miles per hour, including city streets. However, it works best on roads with steady traffic flow. In heavy stop-and-go traffic, you may find yourself disengaging and re-engaging frequently, which makes manual driving easier.
What happens if I take my hands off the wheel while cruise control is on?
Tesla's Traffic-Aware Cruise Control does not require hands-free driving. The system will alert you if it detects that your hands have been off the wheel for an extended period. Keep at least light contact with the steering wheel and remain ready to take control at any time.
Does cruise control work in rain or snow?
Cruise control functions in rain and snow, but the system may be less responsive if the forward cameras are wet or covered. Heavy precipitation can reduce the accuracy of traffic detection. If you notice the system behaving strangely in bad weather, disengage it and drive manually.
Can I set cruise control to a specific speed without using the scroll wheel?
No, you must use either the right scroll wheel or the plus and minus buttons on the stalk to set your speed. There is no voice command or touchscreen method to directly input a speed number. The scroll wheel is the fastest method for most drivers.
What is the difference between cruise control and Autopilot on a Tesla?
Traffic-Aware Cruise Control maintains your speed and distance from traffic ahead. Autopilot (if your vehicle has it) does that plus automatically steers to keep you centered in your lane. Cruise control requires you to steer manually, while Autopilot handles steering for you on marked roads.